Reader Poll

Do you value your freedom and independence, but have little of either because you get so involved in what you are doing that you have no time to do anything else?

Focus on Your Strengths, Not on Your Weaknesses

Although these hard-working people have the unique qualities of an entrepreneur, they don't always have the complete business skills set that all truly successful entrepreneurs and business owners have.

They are creative, a catalyst and enjoy trying out ideas in the form of one or more businesses, which means that they are great at starting businesses, but not necessarily very good at managing them.

Many entrepreneurs tend not to make great managers and I think that they shouldn't even try. They are much more effective and successful when they completely and responsibly turn over to the right people the parts of the business they are weak at running.

At the start of this video, a successful entrepreneur - Erica Douglass - talks about how not delegating was a big mistake she made early in her career.

Think Like a Leader

A beneficial chain of events would occur if busy entrepreneurs were to stop thinking like an employee and to start thinking like a leader.

If
they were to stop doing the tasks that they can, but that others should
be doing, and start giving the responsibility to them to do, they would
be better able to focus on the most important things and reduce the
time taken to produce the right results.

Delegating is Not Easy

This is easier said than done. Many entrepreneurs do not finding delegating easy and often have difficulty with letting go of work and responsibility to others, which sometimes signals a deeper, yet fixable problem.

When someone knows what to do, but just doesn't do it, it can be because they simply don't know how, or something is holding them back and stopping them from doing what they know is in their best interests to do.

For example, the more introverted the entrepreneur, the more likely that they find delegating difficult because they like attending to details and believe that no one can do the work better than they.

While, the more extraverted the entrepreneur, the more likely they are to delegate because it frees them from attending to details and lets them look for greater opportunities. However, sometimes this delegating can boomerang and lead to declining productivity because they are not paying enough attention to what their employees are doing.

The Need for Support and Structure

Either way, entrepreneurial people often need guidance on how to solve their problems for themselves and to take better self-directed action. They benefit greatly from support and structure where they can create strategies and specific action steps for dealing with specific issues, such as working too many hours and having no personal life.

Which is why smart entrepreneurs often find the regular support and structure that they need from many sources such as mentors, entrepreneur groups, and from hiring a business coach.

When they are fully supported, busy entrepreneurs can learn how to delegate and to create an ideal work schedule that allows them to leave work at a reasonable hour and gives them the free time to devote to other things such as family, friends and leisure activities. By working less and delegating more, they get to have both a successful business and a personal fulfilling personal life.

Key Point

Taking a backseat helps entrepreneurs to focus on the most important things and do what they do best - create.

More Solutions for Entrepreneurs

Are you an entrepreneur who constantly has lots of ideas, runs around in cirlces and can't focus on only one idea?

Are you continuously thinking of new things you could try in your business, but have trouble bringing your ideas to fruition?

Do you lie awake at night thinking up new ideas or worrying about everything you have to do the next day